Bangladesh must deepen counter trafficking steps: Stakeholders

In the backdrop of widespread exploitations of Bangladeshi workforces in South and South East Asia and their unabated trafficking into Africa, Europe and America, the government of Bangladesh should intensify its counter trafficking mechanism and progressively punish human traffickers, local and international stakeholders said.

They said only such actions will improve the human trafficking and subjugation situations.

They have suggested the government of Bangladesh to follow prioritised recommendations incorporated in the Trafficking-in-Persons (TIP) report recently released by the US State Department to bring changes in elimination of human trafficking.

Bangladesh has been put in the Tier-2 list of the TIP report as the country did not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but was making significant efforts to this end. This report also affirms that Bangladesh is moderately dangerous in terms of human trafficking.

The TIP report mentioned that as reported over the past five years, traffickers exploited domestic and foreign victims in Bangladesh as well as in host countries. Traffickers exploit some Bangladeshi men, women, and children who migrate willingly to work in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, especially Brunei, Malaysia, and the Maldives. Bangladeshis are being forced to perform in those countries.

In recent years, authorities identified more than 100 Bangladeshi male forced labour victims in construction firms in Vanuatu, while officials received thousands of complaints of non-payment of wages and contract switching among the 30,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers in Brunei.

More than 69,000 of the 234,000 Bangladeshi workers in Maldives were undocumented, and some report passport retention, underpayment or non-payment of wages, and fraudulent recruitment.

In Saudi Arabia, traffickers exploit a substantial number of Bangladeshi female domestic workers through labour trafficking. Officials report that approximately 200 domestic workers return to Bangladesh from Saudi Arabia each month with indications of subjugation.

When contacted, Parliamentarians Caucus on Migration and Development secretary general Mahjabeen Khaleed told the Business Insider Bangladesh that the government should change its attitude and prove before the world that it has been trying to bring changes to curb human trafficking.

“The laws should be stricter, implementation of the laws should be visible, harder punishment should be ensured and separate courts should be in place for swift conviction,” she said, adding that the government should do independent research work to get factual information on how to improve the situation.

Mahjabeen Khaleed, also a former MP, stressed the need for raising awareness among local community and developing skills of the immigration officials and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel with training and education to check human trafficking.

Contacted, Chief of Party, Winrock International-FS/TIP Liesbeth Zonneveld told the Business Insider Bangladesh that Bangladesh could improve its status from Tier 2 through “implementation of all of the USDOS 2021 TIP report recommendations.”

Responding to another question about irregular migration to Europe, she emphasized on “Prevention of the potential irregular migration before it occurs.”

She said information campaigns could prevent migration by disseminating the risks of migrating irregularly and these have proven to be most effective. When such publicity has specific goals and targets ‘at-risk’ groups it becomes part of a wider strategy of prevention.

“Repeated campaigns may also be more effective,” she said.

Liesbeth Zonneveld also said that cooperation with carriers (airlines, shipping companies, bus companies) has also proven particularly effective in preventing irregular migration. By training carrier staff in the identification of false documents, the work of border management authorities is facilitated.

She also emphasised on increased surveillance of unofficial border crossing points (so called ‘green borders’). “At sea, patrolling systems have saved lives of persons risking dangerous sea routes to Southern EU Member States, as well as led to a major reduction (by tenfold) in the number of irregular migrants arriving by sea.”

When contacted, Giorgi Gigauri, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bangladesh told the Business Insider Bangladesh that that IOM applauded Bangladesh government for retaining its place at the Tier two position in the 2021 US TIP Report, especially considering the global impact of COVID-19, including in Bangladesh.

He said the government has displayed commendable progress in making commitments to eradicate human trafficking in Bangladesh and the IOM encourages the government to continue this important work in line with the recommendations set out in the TIP report. “Consorted efforts with a whole of government and whole of society approach are the key to counter the increased risk of smuggling and trafficking of migrants.”

With the project and programme interventions, Giorgi Gigauri said the IOM supported the government of Bangladesh in combating human trafficking in person. “The KOICA-IOM Comprehensive Programme to Combat Human Trafficking in Bangladesh is one of the active projects. Additionally, the Bangladesh United Nations Network on Migration (BDUNNM) continues to support the Government to combat human trafficking and protect those who fall victim to traffickers.”

The TIP report 2021 recommends increasing prosecutions and convictions for trafficking offenses, particularly of labour traffickers and complicit government officials, while respecting due process.

It also recommends taking steps to eliminate recruitment fees charged to workers by licensed labour recruiters and ensure employers pay recruitment fees, intensifying investigations and prosecutions of credible allegations of trafficking of Rohingya, including cases that do not involve movement.

The report asked Bangladesh to disseminate and implement standard guidelines for provision of adequate victim care referral to protective services, expand services for trafficking victims, especially adult male victims, foreign victims, and victims exploited abroad.

It suggested fully implementing and monitoring compliance and registration requirements for recruitment agents and dalals, improving the quality of pre-departure training for migrant workers, including sessions on labour rights, labour laws, and access to justice and overseas assistance.

The TIP report also recommended full implementation of the 2018-2022 National Plan of Action, including dedicating official resources towards enhancing victim care and establishing standard guidelines for investigating transnational trafficking cases.